Today we’d like to introduce you to Levi Barnard.
Levi, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
After enlisting in the United States Air Force, I was stationed in Great Falls, Montana working law enforcement and corrections. Living in Montana, I developed a love of photography and decided to use my GI Bill to enroll in a graphic communication program at a local community college after completing my military service. This also gave me a ton of exposure to a variety of design mediums and programs that I had never seen before.
Eventually, I found myself working full-time for a local steel company doing AutoCAD and was doing some freelance graphic design on the side. During this time, I started playing in my local kickball league… which led to running a league, then founding my own league, and traveling the country to play in the most competitive adult kickball tournaments being offered. I began to design kickball jerseys and after designing for a couple of other manufacturers, I decided to go out on my own and start Six Twenty Five Custom Sports Apparel. I was still working full-time for the steel company during the day, and putting another 40+ hours a week working on my own business. I decided to leave my job to pursue graphic design full-time. The brand has morphed over the last few years and I now do a lot more than kickball, so I have tried to modernize the branding as well. You will now see the brand represented in roman numerals in the new logo, VI XXV.
I now own two kickball leagues under the name Texas-Kickball.com, one in Houston and one in Fort Worth, while my wife works for a major oil and gas company. We still travel for kickball, most recently to Puerto Rico for a tournament in January. Last summer, we welcomed a beautiful baby boy named Wells into our lives and I’m now a full-time work from home parent. We love Houston and hope to make it our home for a long time.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest obstacle in going out on my own was finding quality manufacturers to work with. Not only was I still responsible for creating the art that my clients wanted to wear, but my reputation (and money) were on the line for producing the final product. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that once you have a solid working relationship with someone, it is of the utmost important to maintain mutual respect and expectations to ensure longevity.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about VI XXV Custom Sports Apparel – what should we know?
I’m a one stop shop for anything from business card to shirts to full trade show displays. The majority of my business is apparel, everything from full-sublimation jerseys, shorts, and leggings to DTG, screen printing, and embroidery. My true passion is branding and logo design, even if you’re starting from scratch or just looking to revamp your company’s look.
One thing I pride myself on is customer service. The majority of my business is through word of mouth which means my reputation is everything to me. My goal is for the customer to, of course, be happy with the final product but to enjoy the process as well.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Without a doubt, my genuine concern is the customer’s happiness from start to finish. I hope that my customers can feel that when we work together.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vixxv.com
- Email: 6twenty5@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/625_design/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/625customsportsapparel/?ref=bookmarks
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